Trigger mechanism



Feb. 21, 1933. M. A. BROWNING 1,8982% TRIGGER MECHANISM Filed Sept. 9, 1951 /0 h gwumtow Q/ 70 Manmer A, Bmwmng elm Patented Feb. 21, 1233 whit? earner erri MARRINEB- A, BROWNING, OF OGDEN, UTAH, ASSIG-NOB TO J. M. & M. S. BROWNING CODZIIPANY, OF OGDEN, UTAH, A CORPORATION OF UTAH 1 TRIGGER IMECI-IANISM Application filed September 9, 1931. Serial No. 561,850.

This invention relates to improvements in trigger mechanism for double guns (either of the side by side or the over and under types) in which they barrels may be fired 1n succession upon successive pulls of the tr gger, and it has particular reference to trigger mechanism such as disclosed and claimed in the Val A. Browning application Serial Number 53 l/l69, filed May 2, 1931, and assigned to the J. M. & M. S. Browning Company, the owner of the present application.

The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved trigger mechanism of his kind having but one trigger and pro- *ded with means whereby the barrels may be fired selectively in either order upon succes ive pulls of the trigger; that is to say, the over barrel first and then the under one may he fired upon successive pulls, or the order may be reversed.

A further aim of the invention is to provi ,,e an improved trigger mechanism which is very simple in construction and effective operation.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter. p

The invent-ion accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction set forth and the scope of the invention of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown, for illustrative purposes, one of the embodiments which the present invention may take, it being understood that this disclosure is by way of eXemplificat-ion only and the improvements may be incorporated in guns of various kinds and types and in connection with firin mechanisms of varim ous styles,

1 is a side elevational view of my improved arrangeme with both of the ham- 2 1c in cocked position and with the trigger un, ulled, the connector being in such posin that upon the first pull of the trigger the vhand hammer will be released;

the parts shown in the Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the connector shifted into operative relation to the right-hand sear;

Fig. 4: is a view similar to Fig. '1, with the left-hand hammer in released position and the single trigger in pulled condition;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the connector; and

Fig, 6 is a detail view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1. v

Referring to the drawing in detail, 10 designates the frame of the gun, the same being shown more or less diagrammatically, as it may be of any suitable construction, the particular form and shape thereof forming no part of the present invention. The firing mechanism includes a pair of hammers 11 and 12 pivoted as at 18. Respectively associated with these hammers are the sears 14 and 15 which may be of any suitable con struction. These sears are pivoted on a pin 16. Each of the hammers is normally urged into firing position by respective springs, only one of which is shown, that spring being designated by the numeral 17. Each of the hammers has, on its outer face, a notch 18 adapted to be engaged by a tooth 19 on the respective sear for holding the hammer in cocked position. The sears are normally urged into engagement with the hammers by springs 20 which may be of any suitable form. In the present instance, the rear ends of these sears are provided in their opposed faces with notches 21 and 22 which, in effect, form a rectangular opening. By notching the sears as described, they respectively have, at their extreme rear ends, normally aligned tails or offsets 23 and 24.

In accordance with the present invention, the gun is provided with a single trigger associated, by means of a connector, with the sears. In the present instance, the trigger 25 is located in a slot in the bottom of the frame 10 and is pivoted on a pin 26. It has a recess 2'? forming a socket in which the pin 28 on the lower end of the connector 29 seats. The upper end of the connector has a formed by the notches 21 and 22, the width of this finger being less than the width of either of these notches. Rearwardly of and at the lower end of the finger is a shoulder 32 which is adapted to selectively engage beneath the tails 23 and 24 of the sears. The connector has, adjacent its upper end but below the shoulder 32 and on each side. cams which are inclined upwardly and outwardly. The cam on the left-hand side is designated by the numeral 33 and that on the right-hand side by the numeral 34. For the purpose of adjusting the connector laterally in order to permit of selectability as to. which barrel will be fired. first, as desired, there is provided a shifter 40 mounted for sliding movement in the same slot as that in. which the web of the trigger is located. The shifter has a hump 41 against which the fingeror thumb may be pressed when it is desired to move the shifter from oneposition to another. The forward end of the shiftermay have a notch 42 for accommodating the pin 26 and the rear end of the shifter may be guided by the bottom tang of the frame. The shifter has an upstanding lug 43 of somewhat wedge shape in horizontal cross section,: thus providing oppositely disposed cam faces 44 and 45.

- itmaintains the connector in engagement with the trigger third, it serves as an operative connection between the shifter and the connector; and, fourth, it resiliently holds the shifter in either its forward or rearward positions. This spring may be formedffrom a length of spring wire bent generally into U-shape so as to provide a pair of arms which straddle the connector. The connector is secured to these arms as by means of a pin 47 The closed end of the wire isbent upwardly and is provided with an eye 48 which bears against a rear member of the frame, it being secured thereto by a screw 49.- vThe lefthand arm' of the wire is provided with a cam 50 in the form of a hump which is complemental to the cam projection 43 of the shift er. The arrangement is such that when the shifter is in its rearmost position, the high I point of the hump 50 engages the cam surface 44 or projection 43 just forwardly of the high point of this projection, so that the arm of the spring is held or urged towards the left, thus holding the connector in the position shown in Fig. 2 and in which position the shoulder 32 of the connector is beneath the offset or tail 23 of the left-hand sear 14.

condition it holds the connector in the position shown in Fig. 3.

The numeral designates a safety latch connected by means of a pin 71 to a thumb piece 72. The safety latch and thumb piece are held to their seats by a spring 73.. The upper tang of the frame has two notches 74 and 75 in which a lug '26 on the safety latch is adapted to selectively engage. The forward end of the safety latch has a head 77 which, when the safety latch is in safe position, is immediately above the finger 31 of the connector, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the safety latch is in this position, the trigger cannot be pulled. The safety latch, rearwardly of the head '77, has a wedge shaped portion 78 so arranged that, when the safety is in off position and the trigger is pulled, the safety will not interfere with the lifting movementof the conncctor. This wedge shaped portion forms a partition which prevents accidental shifting of the connector from one sear to the other while the trigger is held in pulled position. In Fig. 4, the trigger is shown as having been pulledto release the left-hand ham-V mer, and it will be seen that, while the trigger is held in pulled positiointhe upper end of the finger 31 lies alongside of the left-hand side of the portion 78 of the latch. It is seen that the wedge shaped portion 78 is truncated so as to provide on its underside a downwardly facing surface disposed between the side walls of the portion 78. This surface is disposed above the opposed faces of the scars 14 and 15 and serves to prevent pulling of the trigger and firing of the gun while the connector is in an intermediate position.

Pivoted as at 54 to the rear tang piece of the frame is a pair of intermediate members or changing levers designated by the numeral 51, these levers being of the same construetion and arrangement as those shown in the said Val A. Browning application. Each lever is normally urged upwardly and forwardly by a respective spring 52 of any suitable type. Each of the levers has a forwardly extending finger 53, and these fingers straddle the connector. The levers also have downwardly and inwardlycurved arms or portions 55 adapted to cooperate with the inertia member which will now be described, thisarrangement being generally similar to that disclosed in said Val A. Browning application. The inertia member may be in the form of a cylinder 60 having 'a stem 61, the cylinder being mounted for sliding movement in a tube 62. Behind the cylinder is a spring 63 normally urging the inertia mem- 7 and under type and that the over barrel is associated with the left-hand barrel and the uneer one with the right-hand one. When the hammers are cocked, they move and hold the changing levers in the position shown in Fi 1. If it is desired to fire the over barrel first and then the under one, the shifter is moved to the rearmost position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 so that the projection 43 of the shifter engages the high point of the hump or cam of the spring 46 whereby this spring, being thus flexed towards the left, will pull and hold the connector in a position where the projection or finger 31 thereof engages in the notch 21 of the lefthand sear, the shoulder 32 being beneath the tail 23 of that sear. \Vhen the trigger is pulled the first time, that is, raised from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 4, the connector raises the left-hand sear 14 thereby releasing the hammer 11. The over barrel is thus fired and the gun recoils backwardly, but this movement does not affect the position of the inertia element relative to the trigger mechanism until the rearward movement of the gun is checked by the resistance offered by the shooters shoulder, whereupon the mass 60 will move rearwardly in the tube 62, and, when the forward end of the stem 61 has been withdrawn rearwardly to a slight extent, the portion of the left-hand changing lever is released therefrom. The spring 52, which is behind that changing lever, will move the changing lever to the position shown in Fig. 4t and in which position the finger 53 engages the lower end of the inclined cam 33. The spring 52 is too weak to cause the lever to ride up this cam. The rear edge of the portion 55 of the changing leveris now in the path of movement of the stem 61 of the inertia element. After the gunhas completed its recoil movement, it rebounds forwardly, and the mass lags'behind the forward jump of the gun, and, during this time, the connector is held in engagement with the left-hand sear by the spring 46 so that, if the trigger should be pulled again, the other sear will not be released; that is, there can be no doubling. After the gun has completed its forward rebound movement, the spring behind the inertia element forces that element forwardly and, due to the engagement of the stem 61 against the portion 55 of the changing lever, the latter will move from the position shown in Fig. 4 to a higher position. Then the lever is thus moved, it rides up the cam .33 so that the connector is rocked to the right and into the position shown in Fig. 3, after the trigger is released. The shoulder 32 is now in proper relation to the righthand sear. When the trigger is again pulled, the right-hand sear is raised so as to release the right-hand hammer to fire the under barrel. If it is desired to fire the under barrel first and then the over one, the shifter is moved to its foremost position shown in Fig.

3 and, in which positiomthe projection 43 is in advance of the hump or cam 50 of the spring 46. The spring 46, now being free to assume its normal position, will rock the 0011- nector' to its right-hand position and, in which position, the shoulder 32 is in operative relation to the right-hand sear 15. When the trigger is pulled, the under barrel will be fired, and the-operation will be generally similar to that ust described, except that the right-hand changing lever will cooperate with the cam 34- to shift'the connector into operative relation to the left-hand sear.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a pair of hammers, a sear for each hammer, a single trigger, a connector through which said sears are successively operated upon successive pulls of the trigger, said connector being adjustably supported whereby the samemay be selectively set so that the sears will be operated in the desired order on repeated pulls of the trigger, means for selectively setting said connector, an inertia element having a relative rearward movement upon the rebound of the ,gun,a spring normally urging said inertia element forwardly, and means interposed between said inertia element and connector whereby said spring moves said connector from the fired to the unfired sear upon return of the inertia element to initial position.

2. In combination, a pair of'hammers, a sear for each hammer, a single trigger, a connector operated thereby and arranged to move from operative relation to onesear into operative relation with the other sear after the first barrel has been fired and the trigger is released, said connector being adjustably supported whereby the same may be selectively set so that the sears will be operated in the desired order upon repeated pulls of the trigger, means for selectively setting said connector, an inertia element adapted to lag behind the forward rebound of the gun and normally urged into forward initial position, and a pair of intermediate members interposed between said inertia element and connector.

3. In combination, a

pair of hammers, a

sear for each hammer, a single trigger, a connector supported by said trigger and arranged to successively actuate said sears on repeated pulls of the trigger, said connector being. supported for selective adjustment relative to the sears, means for selectively setting said connector, an inertia element adapted to lag behind the forward rebound of the gun and normally urged forwardly, and a pair of intermediate members interposed between said connector and inertia element, said connector having portions adapted to be respectively engaged by said intermediate members, each of said intermediate members having a portion normally outof the path of the inertia element and adapted to be automatically brought into said path of movement during the forward rebound of the gun.

' 4. In combination, a pair of hammers, a sear for each hammer, a single trigger, a connector carried thereby and adapted to be automatically shifted from engagement with one sear into engagement withthe other sear only in the event the gun is fired upon the first pull ofthe trigger, said connector being supported for selective adjustment relative to said sears, means for selectively setting said connector, an inertia element adapted to lag behind the gun on the forward rebound thereof, a spring normally urging said inertia element forwardly, a pair of changing levers, and portions on the opposite sides of said connector adapted to be respectively engaged by said changing levers.

I 5. In combination, a pair, of hammers, a sear for each hammer, a single trigger, a connector carried thereby and adapted to shift laterally from engagement with one sear into engagement with the other sear when the gunlis fired upon the first pull of thetrigger, said connector being adjustably supported whereby the same may be selectively set so that the sears will be operated in the desired order, means for selectively setting said connector, said connector having a cam on each sideface, an inertia element, and a pair of intermediate members respectively associated with said cams whereby, in one selective setting of the connector, said inertia element will cause one of said intermediate members to engage one of said cams to shift the connector after one of the barrels is first fired and, in the other selective setting of the connector, said inertia element will cause the other intermediate member to shift the connector when the other barrel is first fired. Y

6. In combination, a pair of hammers, a scar for each hammer, a single trigger, aconnector carried thereby'and adapted to shift laterally from engagement with one sear into engagement with the other sear when the gun is fired upon thefirst pull of the trigger, said connector being adjustably supported whereby the same maybe selectively set so lever in the other settin that the sears will be operated in the desired order, means for selectively setting said connector, said connector having a cam on each side face, an inertia element, and a pair of intermediate members respectively associated tion in which it has no infiuenceon the coin I nector whllesaid inertia element is 111 its initial position, that intermediate member which will act upon the connector in its selective position being released from said inertia element when the latter lags behmdthe gun;

said inertia element, when returning to initial position, causing said intermediatemember to act upon saidconnector to shift the same.

7. In combination, a pair of hammers, a

sear for each hammer, a single trigger, a connector supported by said tri 'ger and arranged to selectively engage said sears on repeated pulls of the trigger, said connector being adjustably supported whereby thesame may be selectively set sothat the sears will be operated in the desired order, means for selectively setting said connector, said connector having a cam on each of its side-faces, a first changs ing lever adapted to cooperate with one' of ice said cams in one setting bf the connector, a 7

second changing lever adapted to cooperate with the other cam of said connector in the other setting of the latter, and an inertia.

element for controlling the movement of said changing levers,

8. In combination, a pair ofhammers, a

sear for each hammer, a single trigger, a connector carriedther-eby and adapted to shift from one sear to another when the first barrel is fired, said connectcrbeing supported for selective adjustment relative to the sears, means for selectively setting said connector, said connector having a cam on each of its side faces, and a pair of changing levers straddling said connector, one of said cams being 1n the path of movement of one of said changing levers in one setting of the connectorv and the other of said cams being in the path of movement of the other changing of the connector, an inertia element adapted to lag behind the forward rebound of the gun, and a spring normally urging said inertia element forwardly, each of said changing levers having a portion normally out of the'path of movement of said inertia element and movable thereinto upon movement of said inertia relative rearward element.

9. In combination, a pair of hammers, sears respectively associated therewith, a trigger, a connector through which said sears are successively operated upon successive pulls of the trigger, an inertia element having a relative rearward movement upon rebound of the gun, a spring normally urging said inertia element forwardly, means between said inertia element and connector whereby said spring moves said connector from the fired to the uniired sear upon return of the inertia element to its initial position, and means for preventing shifting of the connector from one position to another while the trigger is in pulled condition.

10. In combination, a pair of hammers, a sear for each hammer, a single trigger, a connector supported by said trigger and arranged to successively actuate said sears on repeated pulls of the trigger, said connector being supported for selective adjustment relative to the sears, means for selectively setting said connector, a safety latch adapted in one posit-ion to he above said connector to pre vent actuation thereof, said safety latch also having a portion to the side of which said connector extends when the trigger is pulled, an inertia element, and a pair of intermediate members interposed between said connector and inertia element.

11. In combination, a pair of hammers, sears respectively associated therewith, a trigger, a connector carried by said trigger and arranged to successively actuate said sears on repeated pulls of the trigger, said connector being supported for selective adjustment relative to the scars, a slidable shifter for selectively setting said connector, and a spring normally urging said connector to its seat on said trigger and constituting a connection between said connector and shifter.

12. In combination, a pair of hammers, sears respectively associated therewith. a trigger, a connector carried by said trigger and arranged to successively actuate said sears on repeated pulls of the trigger, said connector being supported for selective adjustment relative to the sears, a slidable shifter for selectively setting said connector, and a spring normally urging said connector to its seat and said trigger to unpulled position, said spring having hump adapted to coop-- crate with said shifter.

13. In combination, a pair of hammers, sears respectively associated therewith, a trigger, a connector carried by said trigger and arranged to successively actuate said sears on repeated pulls of the trigger, said connector being supported for selective adjustment relative to the sears, a slidable shifter for selectively setting said connector, and a spring urging said connector and trigger to normal position, said spring having a hump and said shifter having a projection cooperating with said hump, said spring being arranged to hold said shifter in both its rearmostand foremost positions.

14. In combination, a pair of hammers, a pair of sears positioned side by side and respectively associated with said hammers, a trigger, a connector through which said sears are successively operated upon successive pulls of the trigger, an inertia element having a relative rearward movement upon rebound of the gun, a spring normally urging said inertia element forwardly, means between said inertia element and connector whereby said spring moves said connector from the fired to the unfired sear upon return of the inertia element to its initial position, and a partition for preventing shifting of the connector from one position to another while the trigger is in pulled condition, said partition having a sur face for preventing actuation of the trigger while the connector is in intermediate posi tion.

MAR-RINER A. BROWNING. 

